•Schedule: Arizona is 21-10 against NL West rivals and plays 41 of its 67 second-half games inside the division, including three beginning Friday against the second-place Los Angeles Dodgers.

•Keep an eye on: LHP Randy Johnson. The Big Unit's inconsistency has kept Arizona from establishing the kind of dominant starting trio that could make up for hitting deficiencies. Johnson has shown signs of his overpowering self, but has struggled at times (6-7, 5.23 ERA).

•Buy or sell: Buy. Merely having flirted with the idea of bringing in Barry Bonds illustrates Arizona's need for a power bat.

Atlanta Braves

•Schedule: August is a tough travel month with games in San Francisco, Arizona, New York, St. Louis and Washington.

•Keep an eye on: OF Jeff Francoeur. He went 7-for-13 after being sent to Class AA (Pearl) Mississippi, and the Braves are expecting a strong second half. Francoeur has two 100-RBI seasons but has hit just .234 in 86 games this season.

•Buy or sell: The Braves, six games out of first, are on the bubble. It's possible 1B Mark Teixeira or LHP Will Ohman could be traded.

Chicago Cubs

•Schedule: After three games at Arizona on July 21-23, the Cubs will be done with the NL West; Chicago has gone 22-7 against that division. The Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals will have their chances to knock off the Cubs, with a combined 12 games against them in the last three weeks.

•Keep an eye on: RHP Rich Harden. His new teammates are enthused about what he can do for the team's playoff chase and beyond — if he can stay on the mound. Harden's immense ability is always tempered by his history of injuries.

•Buy or sell: Buy. The bullpen has been iffy, so the Cubs might be tempted to upgrade. There's not much else to do — this is clearly the NL's best — but when you've been waiting nearly 100 years for a title, no expense is exorbitant.

Cincinnati Reds

•Schedule: The Reds start with 20 of 29 games at home.

•Keep an eye on: RHP Homer Bailey. Bailey, one of the team's top pitching prospects, gets a fourth chance in the majors, replacing injured RHP Aaron Harang in the rotation. Bailey, 22, was 0-3 with an 8.76 ERA in three June starts.

•Buy or sell: Sell. The Reds will have some interesting decisions to make about OFs Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn. Griffey has to approve a trade.

Colorado Rockies

•Schedule: The Rockies are a major league-worst 14-36 on the road, but do play their first seven games after the break and 35 of their remaining 66 at Coors Field.

•Keep an eye on: SS Troy Tulowitzki. His second season has redefined the sophomore jinx, as he got off to a .152 start at the plate before a torn quadriceps sidelined him for seven weeks. Moreover, the hand injury he sustained slamming down a bat in frustration brings into question his maturity.

•Buy or sell: Sell. After last year's stunning closing flurry, it could be foolish to discount the Rockies. But their pitching woes are too deep to count on a turnaround, so reliever Brian Fuentes, OF Willy Taveras and C Yorvit Torrealba could be commodities.

Florida Marlins

•Schedule: The Marlins start with 13 of 17 home games, including series against the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets. They have a key trip to Philadelphia and New York from Aug. 5-10. In September, the Marlins have two series against the Phillies and one against the Mets.

•Keep an eye on: The rotation. No other team has five starters 25 or younger. The Marlins' rotation when the season resumes will be RHP Ricky Nolasco (25), LHP Scott Olsen (24), RHP Josh Johnson (24), LHP Andrew Miller (23) and RHP Chris Volstad (21). Nolasco (10-4, 3.70 ERA) was their best pitcher in the first half.

•Buy or sell: Neither. Getting Johnson, a 12-game winner in 2006, back from the disabled list, is like a trade, the Marlins said.

Houston Astros

•Schedule: The Astros play 38 of their final 67 games at home, but they're only one game above .500 at Minute Maid Park.

•Keep an eye on: SSMiguel Tejada. The All-Star shortstop seems to have revived his career after an offseason trade with the Baltimore Orioles. But he hit .227 in June, is at .159 for July and has one RBI in his last 21 games.

•Buy or sell: Sell. Despite having two of the top RBI guys in the league in Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee, the Astros rank in the bottom half in runs. Time to try a new approach.

Los Angeles Dodgers

•Schedule: They play the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks 13 times, but none after Sept. 7, so the season-series loser may require some outside help.

•Keep an eye on: CF Andruw Jones. A .164 average and only 10 RBI in 165 at-bats by a player making $18 million a year do tend to stick out. In what was regarded as a down season last year, Jones had 26 home runs and 94 RBI. The Dodgers would gladly take a prorated version of thosenumbers.

•Buy or sell: Buy. General manager Ned Colletti has been active at the trade deadline before, and he continues to seek a replacement for shortstop and leadoff hitter Rafael Furcal, indicating he's willing to part with prospects. Owner Frank McCourt has hinted that some of the team's previous untouchables are no longer so.

Milwaukee Brewers

•Schedule: The Brewers have 10 games left against the first-place Chicago Cubs, including seven at Miller Park, on July 28-31 and three more on the season's final weekend. The Brewers play the Cardinals six times, all in St. Louis.

•Keep an eye on: 2B Rickie Weeks. He slumped in the first half, but the Brewers believe that Weeks will spark the offense at the top of the order when the season resumes. Last year, after a stint in the minor leagues, Weeks came back to post a .442 on-base percentage in his final 43 games.

•Buy or sell: Buy. Acquiring LHP CC Sabathia helps the rotation, but the Brewers need to turn their attention to bullpen help.

New York Mets

•Schedule: They play 15 of 25 at home in September, including the final seven regular-season games at Shea Stadium against the Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins.

•Keep an eye on: Second base. Luis Castillo is on the disabled list with a hip flexor injury. The other alternative, Damion Easley, 38, has a sore quadriceps.

•Buy or sell: Buy. The Mets and new manager Jerry Manuel went into the All-Star break with a nine-game winning streak. With LF Moises Alou (hamstring) and RF Ryan Church (concussion) out, the Mets will be in the market for anoutfielder.

Philadelphia Phillies

•Schedule: The second half begins with a six-game trip to play the third-place Florida Marlins and second-place New York Mets.

•Keep an eye on: SS Jimmy Rollins. The 2007 NL MVP was slowed for a month with an ankle injury and needs to contribute more. Rollins is hitting .274 with six home runs and 20 steals, but finished the first half on a 7-for-20 run.

•Buy or sell: Buy. The Phillies need another starter to be serious contenders.

Pittsburgh Pirates

•Schedule: The Pirates begin August and September with brutal 10-game road trips.

•Keep an eye on: 1B Adam LaRoche. Last season, LaRoche bounced back from a slow start by hitting .312 after the break. He's at it again, hitting .405 in July.

•Schedule: St. Louis, which has yet to lose more than three in a row this season, opens with an eight-game homestand and has nine games left against the Cubs.

•Keep an eye on: RHP Jason Isringhausen. The veteran reliever had been making strides in his quest to regain the closer job until blowing up in the 12-11 debacle against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday. His return to form is critical for the team's comfort level, as Ryan Franklin has blown four of 16 save chances.

•Buy or sell: Depends on whom you ask. Manager Tony La Russa wants the team to make some moves to strengthen the surprise contender. General manager John Mozeliak has a more conservative approach, pointing out reinforcements are coming in pitchers Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, expected back in August.

San Diego Padres

•Schedule: After the break they'll spend a lot of time on the road, where they're 14-28.

•Keep an eye on: LF Chase Headley. It's time to start looking ahead to next year, and the converted outfielder is a big part of the future. San Diego needs to determine whether he'll stay in the outfield in the long run or return to third base. Incumbent third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff's power numbers this season have been disappointing.

•Buy or sell: Sell. The improving farm system is still not ready to make a big impact, so it would be wise to get prospects in return for veteran starters Greg Maddux and Randy Wolf.

San Francisco Giants

•Schedule: The Giants open the second half with a nine-game homestand, but they're just 17-28 at home.

•Keep an eye on: RHP Tim Lincecum. He has a 10-1 mark after a Giants defeat. Lincecum, in only his third pro season, is on pace to pitch more than 200 innings, and the Giants will keep close tabs on how he holds up.

•Buy or sell: Sell. Veterans such as Rich Aurilia, Ray Durham, Randy Winn and Dave Roberts, who is rehabbing from knee surgery, might interest contenders looking for a specific piece of the puzzle, unless the Giants are deluding themselves into believing they're contenders.

Washington Nationals

•Schedule: Seventeen of the Nationals' first 23 games after the break are on the road, starting with a nine-game trip to Atlanta, San Francisco and LosAngeles.

•Keep an eye on: RHP Collin Balester. The Nationals' best pitching prospect is expected to become a staple in the rotation.

•Buy or sell: Sell. In a market where relief pitchers are at a premium, the Nationals will be taking calls about the availability of RHP Jon Rauch, who has a 2.85 ERA with 17 saves.

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